Saving Ratchet, Saving Me
by Mariposa Prime
Summary: A young autistic woman, recently abandoned, is trying to find her own way in the world, when something strange happens. Follow her through discovering that her favorite movies are actually real, and see how she handles learning that she is one of them, rather than being human as she appears.
1. Finding Ratchet

~Finding Ratchet~

I look out the window when I hear the sound of a backup alarm, and find a large tow truck literally dumping something in my front yard. Once it's gone, I run out to the large neon green and silver thing on my lawn, hoping to see what, exactly, was dumped in the middle of our property.

I stare in shock for a moment when I find it's an actual Cybertronian… It's Ratchet! After taking note that he still has color—meaning he's still _alive_ —I walk around looking for actual signs of life. Finding none, I run inside for my toolbox—it's pink, and canvas, making it more of a bag, but I don't give a flying frag. I like it.

I hook the bag around my neck and one shoulder, then start with his hands—they shouldn't be too bad, but I remember what happened in the movie, and for all intents, he should be dead, not seemingly unconscious on my front lawn, so I'll just start with the most simple job, and try to secure what I can before he wakes up. Then I'll let him talk me through the rest of the mess.

I grab my green-handled screwdriver before moving for a loose plate between his hand and fingers on the left hand. The first loose screw I find is on the knuckle of the ring finger. Of course, with my hands shaking so much, I wind up poking him on the side of the hole in the plate rather than sticking the Philips head into the slots on the screw, and scrape my knuckles on the edge of the metal in the process. " _Ow_! _Frag it_ , _Ratchet_! Why do ya have ta be so _sharp_!"

I hear a sharp hiss, and look up, half-expecting my yell to have startled one of our many cats, only to find the medic himself staring at me.

I stick the screwdriver back in the toolbox before running over to his head. "Hey, Big Guy. I'm _so_ sorry about that. You okay?" I smile and sigh softly. "I'm Sheyenne, by the way."

"You need to be a lot more careful with a bot's hands, Sheyenne, _especially_ if they are a medic."

I nod. "I know, and I didn't mean to slip." I lay a hand on his cheek. "You're okay though, right?"

"Yeah…"

I nod. "That's good…" I step back over to his hand before carefully tightening the screws. "Want to tell me what happened? Last I'd heard, you were killed…"

He scoffs. "I would be so lucky…" He sighs. "No. I spent two years in stasis lock at KSI, but I was not off-line. When they discovered I was still alive, they sent me off on that tow truck, and dumped me _here_."

"But…they were melting you…"

He touches an armorless spot on his head. "I am well aware of that, Youngling."

"Do you…want to talk about what happened in Michigan?"

"Excuse me?"

I can barely keep my voice steady. This is one of my favorite bots, and he was _killed_ in the last movie. "You were attacked…by Cemetery Wind…and Lockdown…in Michigan… Just a few m-miles from here… I-I thought h-he'd killed you… I—" I fall to my knees before clinging to the large metal hand. "I'd just lost my mom… I couldn't lose you too…"

He sighs before resting a hand on my back. I flinch away slightly before relaxing. I hate having a sensitive spine. "If I have anything to do with it, you will never lose another bot."

"B-but… Optimus…" I point up. "Optimus went into space, two years ago…mortally wounded…I think he's still…"

I hear metal creak as he sits up, still holding me. "HE DID _WHAT_!?" I whimper softly, causing him to sigh. "Sorry, Youngling. I did not mean to frighten you."

I shake my head. "You're fine. Flashback." I sigh heavily. "Optimus got stabbed in the middle of his chest, with his own sword, by Lockdown, when he was in Hong Kong." Ratchet tenses up when he hears the bounty-hunter's name. "He took off into space with the seed, and no one had fixed him… It was too close to his spark for me to be comfortable… I don't wanna lose him either, Ratch…"

"If he makes it back to Earth…" He sighs heavily. "I will make sure you never lose another Autobot, whether that be in the war, or… to _Lockdown_."

I smirk in spite of myself. "Optimus killed him, Ratch. You never have to worry about him again."

He holds me out so he can see my face. He looks…upset, but relieved at the same time. "What?"

"Lockdown's dead. Optimus sliced him in half. You never have to worry about him again."

I watch him relax, and realize instantly that he was afraid of the mech returning to finish the job. "You're afraid…" I smile up at him gently. "I understand…"

"How could you ever understand war?"

I rub the back of my neck. "My _life's_ been a war since I was little, Ratch. I've had to fight my whole life—maybe not against soldiers—but I've had enemies in my life, and their still out there—and always will be, because no one believes me… No one ever believes…" I sigh softly, trying not to cry. I hate meltdowns. I close my eyes and shudder before starting to sing softly, trying not to cry.

I know you're there

I know you're hiding in the dark

Because you're scared

You want the pain to stop

But no one cares

Try to tell the one you love

But they won't believe

The cross you bear

The mask you wear

The hurt that makes you cry yourself to sleep

When will someone see?

I stop when a small sob breaks through, then sigh softly. "I've got PTSD, from emotional abuse, so I know how you feel…and I'm right here, if you need anything…"

"You are trembling…"

I nod. "Anxiety. Ties in with my autism and my trauma—mostly my trauma… Sometimes it's a side-effect from a medication I'm on, but it's usually anxiety."

He glares at me. "You were trembling when I came out of recharge."

"Then it's anxiety. You're one of my favorite bots, and I'm surprised to see you on my front lawn… I was abandoned two weeks ago… I'm in college, but I don't have a working car…"

"I could—"

I cross my arms. "You won't be taking me anywhere until you're fixed up, Mister. I don't want you hurting yourself more…" I turn away and rub my arm anxiously. "Not after crying beside the theater… crying in the college bathroom…" I shake my head before turning back to him. "I'm not letting you get hurt when seeing you dead almost killed me _emotionally_. I can't take it if you're _actually_ killed…"

"Sheyenne…"

"Don't."

"I never wanted to make you cry."

"I was already broken before you showed up here, Ratch." I shrug at the look he gave me. "You got me through a hell of a childhood, and after I grew up as well. Watching you die didn't help me any, but I was already broken."

He sighs. "Battered, maybe, but not broken. So long as you are still able to get back up, you are never broken, merely damaged. You will recover, even if it takes years. If Bluestreak can survive his entire city, you can survive an abusive home and abandonment." He smiles slightly. "And I can help you through."

I smile up at him. "And if I can, then you can too. We can help each other."

"I do not—"

"You tensed up when I said his name, and you hesitated before saying it yourself. You're traumatized, same as I am, just…" I shake my head. "Oh, what the hell." I shake my head again. It's Ratchet, for Primus' sake! "He traumatized me too, Ratchet. Watching you die left me just as traumatized as if he'd come here and killed my parents—Mom was already dead, but it felt like he'd killed my Dad…even with him in the same house at the time."

"Sheyenne…"

"That's how much I care, Ratch. You mean that much to me. I…I need you… Dad's gone now, and I can't take care of myself. I need you, and you need me…"

"Then I will be here as long as you need me."

I sigh softly. "I can let you stay in the garage, so you won't have to be out in the elements, but you'll have to stay in vehicle mode. It's too small for you to stand up. Period."

"I will be fine."

"Stay here, I'll go open it." I run inside and tap the button, letting the door open before running out and waving the medic inside, in vehicle mode, then step up to the breezeway. "I'll be right through this door if you need me, and you can honk if you need anything. I'll be out as soon as I can." I step back down and pat his hood. "Even if you have a bad dream, or you get panicked."

"Sheyenne…"

"Lockdown may be dead, Ratch, but that doesn't mean your fears die with him. You've been in stasis lock for two years." I shrug. "I know the symptoms of PTSD, and you could wind up with nightmares or flashbacks, just like I have. If it happens, just call me. I don't sleep well as a rule, and I'll be here if you need me." I pat the side of the Hummer rig before starting inside. "Love you, Big Guy!"


	2. The First Night

~The First Night~

I'm woken up by a horn two minutes after midnight. It takes a few minutes for me to realize what the sound is, and several more to remember we have an Autobot in our garage.

* * *

I run over to the Hummer before patting the hood lightly. "Sorry I took so long, Ratch…" I smile gently. "What's wrong?"

He sighs heavily. "I apologize for waking you. It is nothing important."

"Ratchet…" I shake my head. "It's all right. I told you I don't sleep much anyway."

"Go inside and get back to bed."

" _Ratchet_!" I shake my head. "Cut. It. Out. I'm here to help you, which means _I'm not leaving_." I sigh. "Now, tell me what's wrong, Big Guy. What happened?"

"I…" He sighs softly. "I do not want to talk about it."

"Lockdown?" He nods. "Which time? Was it from before Egypt, or after Chicago?"

"A-after Chicago."

I sigh softly before running my hand along the door. "Oh, Ratch…" I sigh heavier before climbing up to sit on his hood. "Want to talk about it…"

"Not particularly." He sighs heavily. "But—"

I run a gentle hand over the hood. "I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to, Ratch. I'm not like that." I smile gently. "If you give me a minute to get a few things, I can stay out here with you tonight."

"Sheyenne…"

"You need me, and I don't have the heart to turn my back on anyone who needs me, so I'm going to stay with you."

"You remind me of someone I used to know…"

"I think I know who…" I smile gently. "You're talking about First Aid, aren't you?"

"I am." He sighs. "Were you not going to retrieve something?"

I nod. "Right." I run inside and grab my fleece blanket and my Transformers AOE blanket and pillow before running back out to the garage. Ratchet opens the back door when he sees me, and I climb in and curl up on the cot in the back before trailing a hand over the floor beside the cot. "It'll be okay, Big Guy. We'll get through this. Together."

"That's what you think…"

"I know we will. It's going to take a long time, and I know it won't be easy, but we can do this. We _have_ to." I sigh heavily and roll onto my stomach before facing the steering wheel. "Optimus and the Autobots are counting on us to get through this."

* * *

I roll over, barely awake, though I jolt up when I feel the metal floor. "Good morning. When is your class?"

"Um… It's at 10:50…why?"

"It is almost 10:30."

"Slag!" I clamber out the back door. "I'll be back in ten."

"I will be here." He chuckles. "I assume I am allowed to drive you now?"

"As long as you're careful, because I don't have time to get the jugs filled up so I can drive myself to class, but I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Sheyenne, I may be injured, but I am not made of glass."

I huff. "You were DEAD, Mister." I turn away, but can't hide the shake of my shoulders as I start to cry. "I-I alm-most… _lost you_ …bef-fore I ever m-met y-you…"

"Hey… _Hey_ …" He sighs heavily. "Sheyenne… I am still here, Sweetspark. He did not kill me, and I have a few vorns in me yet. I'll probably out-live you." He huffs. "You still need to get dressed so we can leave. You cannot be late for class."

"Okay…"


	3. Ancilla College

I only own my OC's!

* * *

~Ancilla College~

We pull up to the college, and I slide out before grabbing my backpack, then run for the door. I slip into class with only seconds to spare and set up my music before slipping one of my earbuds in—I'm allowed them because of my PTSD. I try to pay attention to the lesson, then head down to the free kitchen for the poor students like me, and warm up a Ramen Bowl before sitting down with my phone and read while I eat.

 _Sheyenne?_

It's an unknown number, but I usually reply to them to at least ask who it is—then I remember giving my number to Ratchet before I had climbed out. Ratch?

 _Yes. How was class?_

Good. I have another one at 2—Writing I—and I hate my teacher! I wish I could skip!

 _But you cannot._

Unless I want an F, which I don't.

 _What are you studying, if I may ask?_

Health Sciences.

 _Health Sciences… Shey…_

*shrug* I was inspired by a certain medic, all right?

 _Sheyenne…_

I always wanted to be a doctor, but I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it because of my sensitive stomach, and my compassion slamming into me as hard as it does… But I decided that I couldn't let that stop me, and started college. Now here I am.

 _And I inspired you?_

You, a doctor that saved my life when I was little, and a character on a medical drama I love.

 _That… Well, that explains why you would have been so hurt about Lockdown then…_

Ratchet… don't remind me. I've already had one breakdown here because of that. I don't need another.

 _Sweetspark… You need to stop thinking about it. I'm alive, and that's all that matters._

Ratchet…I CAN'T…and it was for a project for Ethics, about the Autobot Code—I aced it, by the way.

 _That's good. I will let you go so you can finish eating._

Meet me outside?

 _Why?_

I have an hour and a half before I have Writing I, so…"

 _I'll meet you by the lake. See you there._

I nod, and slip my phone into my pocket, keeping my earbuds in so I still have my music. I rush out the door and stop to slip off my jacket—it's still warm outside, but it's freezing inside—and tie it around my waist as I start for the lake.

"Hello."

I smile up at the neon green medic. "Hey." I turn to the left. "Walk with me?"

"Where are we going?"

"This way." I start walking toward a little serenity garden with the medic following. "We had a micro class out here a couple years ago."

"Years? Sheyenne, this is a two-year school."

" _I'm aware of that_." I sigh heavily. "Two years ago, I tried full time, flunked the semester because I'd taken too much on, cut back to part time, health went screwy for a year and a half, flunked the semester because meds knocked me out, got kicked out. I finally got back in, and today was my second day back."

"I see." He sighs before sitting on the ground a few feet away, causing me to give him a worried look. "Do not look at me like that."

I huff. "Are you okay? You're still not fully repaired, and—SHIT!"

" _Language_. This is a Catholic school." He sighs. "What is it?"

"Cybertronium." I lean on a tree, facing away from him. "Primus…"

"Sheyenne, please stop being cryptic and tell me what is wrong."

"Ratchet… they were melting you for your metal… For your _Cybertronium_."

"They would not get much of it out of me, I am afraid…"

I hit my knees. "No…"

"Shey?"

"The author was _right_ … No… Primus, no… Not Ratch… Not this, not now!"

"Sheyenne…" I hear a sigh before he cups me in his hands. "Sweetspark, I will be all right."

I shake my head. "I…I can't lose you again… Not…not now… Not…not like this…"

"You are not going to lose me. I do not plan on dying any time soon."

"Ratch…" I shake my head, giving up on holding back, and start to cry into his hand. "I'm scared…" I flinch at a tingly feeling.

"Well…" He sighs. "Maybe learning you are not what you seem could get your mind off it?"

"Excuse me?" I blink, and dry my eyes with the hem of my dress. "Not what I seem?"

"Not human."

"Okay… Explain."

"You are one of us."

"But…" I motion to myself. "I'm tiny, Doc."

"You are still one of us." He looks me in the eye, which, surprisingly, isn't as uncomfortable as it is with humans. "I _will_ survive this, Sheyenne. I have dealt with it for a long time, and I am not dead yet."

"You almost were…"

"I know, but I am here, and alive, now. You cannot focus on the future."

"Even I'm not promised tomorrow."

"Your health?"

I shrug. "It's just anxiety." He gives me a look. "Doc, it's just dizziness and headaches. I've got a PTSD screening in November."

"Just? That could be so many things."

"Iron and B vitamins on the low end of normal, but still in the normal range. CT and MRI both came back normal—and the CT was when I was going into EMS—tension headaches. Vestibular testing was inconclusive. It's not my ears, it's not my head, and it's not my blood."

"You are still using present tense."

"I'm still dizzy sometimes, too. I still struggle some days."

"And you tremble."

"I'm shaky because…well, you live with—wait…" I look up to him. "What… Er… Do you…"

"I get dizzy sometimes, and I struggle with headaches and I get shaky sometimes myself."

"Ratch…"

"You will need to know, Shey." He sighs. "I may run a fever or get sick sometimes, too, but do not worry about me. I have handled this for a long time."

"Okay…" I sigh heavily. "But I'll still worry about you. I can't help it."

"I guess I will have to accept that." He sighs. "I am here, though, and I have medicine for it."


	4. So What Now?

I only own my OC's!

* * *

~So…What Now?~

I head back into the school, still understandably upset over the medic's announcement, but I have to be in class, and she hadn't ever given my paper back when I had her class on Monday, so I know she won't give me the right to leave class because of panic.

 _Just relax, Sweetspark. I will be fine._

 _Or I'll have to watch you die a slow, painful death despite my best efforts. I don't know if I can survive that, Ratch._

 _Well, that shouldn't happen for several vorns yet. You'll probably die before I do._

 _Probably isn't certain, Doc._

 _So now I am just Doc?_

 _I'm not going to justify that with a response._

 _You just did._

 _Aw, shut it, Doc._ I slip my phone into my pocket with my music playing, and turn my attention to the teacher.

I huff at the feeling of my phone vibrating in my pocket—three times now—and do my best to focus on the lesson. It vibrates again, causing me to audibly sigh. I slip my phone out and look down at the message screen.

 _Sheyenne?_

 _Sheyenne, are you okay?_

 _Please, answer me._

 _Is that it? You are going to ignore me because I do not want you to mourn over my condition?_

 _No, you moron! I'm in class, and we're not allowed to have our phones out. You're blowing up my phone with texts while I'm supposed to be listening to a lecture. I'll talk with you when I'm out, and not before, or I'll lose my phone._

 _All right. I apologize for insinuating that you would ignore me over a medical condition._

 _I know some people would, but not me. I actually care, Doc. I'm just…scared, right now._

 _I can understand that very well._

 _I lost my grandmother to cancer and my mother to kidney failure. Excuse me for being worried, and scared of losing you too._

 _What do you know about my condition?_

 _Very little…that's why I'm scared. I don't know what to expect… Now, I really need to get back to class._

 _I will wait for you in the lot._

I blink down at the message before sighing and slipping my phone away before turning to my laptop and the lesson.

* * *

I run outside and clamber into the Hummer ambulance before shrugging off my backpack and setting it behind the seat. "How was class?"

"Long. And. Annoying." I sigh. "Freshman seminar went about as well as I expected it to. We need the book, and I don't have the money for it, and I'm sure you won't, with the government refusing to help you guys out…"

"True. We are in a difficult point with the government at the moment. I may be forced to leave you to ensure your protection."

"No."

" _Sheyenne_."

"I'm not abandoning you, Ratch. Not in your condition."

He huffs in annoyance. "You would put yourself in danger for me? I'm not even human."

"No. You're better than humanity will ever be, and you need me. I will never turn my back on someone who needs me. Where you go, I go." I sigh heavily. "I'm in this for the long haul, Doc."

"Again with the "Doc". My name is not " _Doc_ "."

"I know that, Ratch. It's your _job_."

"So what? You are going to call me that no matter what I say?"

"I'm going to hope it will become something special to you, actually—you know, something you'd miss if I wasn't there?"

He sighs heavily. "You talk as though we'll have vorns together, when you are at least partly human, and I am alien."

"You told me personally that I was one of you. Maybe…" I rub my arm. "Maybe I don't want to be considered human… Maybe I want to stay with you… Maybe…"

"Sweetspark…I know what you want out of this, but I am not sure it would be safe for either of us…I am sick, even if I do not act it at the moment, and you…you may be one of us, but you still look human. I cannot even imagine the number of ways this could go wrong…"

"Well, Doc, what about the number of ways this could go _right_?"

" _What_!?"

I huff. ' _For being right about Galloway being misinformed, he's_ insanely _dense!_ '

You overthink things  
You say what if  
We're not meant to be  
Well you know what?  
So what  
Make a mistake with me

Nobody goes through this life  
And does everything perfectly  
We're all gonna fail  
So you might as well  
Make a mistake with me

Sometimes, Baby, when we take  
A chance that has this much at stake  
We'll look back  
And in hindsight  
What seemed wrong looks more like right

So I say worst case  
We'll be left  
With lots of good memories  
This chance we have  
Well, it's worth that  
So make a mistake with me

I'm telling you  
The right thing to do  
Is make a mistake  
Make a mistake with  
Make a mistake with me!

"You really want a relationship? With me?"

"My reaction to your death had to mean _something_ , and I don't mean that I'm like _First Aid_ , or that I hate war and killing, or something small like that. I'd watched other bots get killed in the movies, and, while it upset me for sure, I wasn't _crying beside the theater_ or _hyperventilating_ at the _idea_ of them dying, but I was with _you_. I mean, yes, I was that way over Optimus—the last one, not the first—but I never cried over Optimus—not like I did over _you_."

"How did you know about First Aid?"

"That's what you pulled from that speech?" I huff. "I watch G1 on my downtime, okay?" I sigh. "That wasn't the point I was trying to make, Doc."

"Then what was your point?"

"Neither of us should feel like we have to go through this life alone just because we're damaged. You'll need someone in the future, and I don't think you really want to put Aid through that…"

"I do not want to put anyone through end-of-life care, Sheyenne. The fact that you have already done that hurts me. You are still so young, and you are already doing so much."

"Are you saying you _don't want_ a relationship? _At all_?"

"No, I am saying—hold up." He pulls onto a deserted road before stopping and putting on his hazard lights. "How did you react to my death in the movie?"

"I cried beside the theater I had gone to on opening night. The next time I saw it—I had gotten permission to duck into the theater where my brother was watching the movie—I wound up hyperventilating when I realized that you were dead at the point it was at, then I ran outside and cried _again_ because you were dead…it hurts just thinking about it, Doc…"

"Hurts where?" I lay my hand over my chest, already getting worked up over the idea, as well as being haunted by the images from a scene that I learned _just yesterday_ had actually happened. " _Oh, Sweetspark_ … I'm sorry…"

"Ratchet?"

"I never knew…" He sighs heavily. "I should have realized when you told me yesterday… _Primus_ …"

"W-what's wrong, Doc?" I pat the dash. "I'll be all right. You don't have to worry about me like that… I'll be fine. I've gotten through loss before, I'll—"

"No. The only way you would have reacted to my supposed death like that… Would have been if your spark had chosen me as a youngling."

"Like…like we were supposed to be together?"

"Yes."

"Primus, Ratch." I sigh heavily, but rest a gentle hand on the dash. "Well, as Taylor Swift says in a song, the battle's in your hands now, but I'd rather love than fight."

"All right, we can give this thing a try, but we are going to take it slow."

"Okay…" I sigh softly and curl into the seat more. "Thank you…"

We pull into the driveway, and he lets me out with my backpack. Once I'm inside, I curl into a brown leather recliner and turn on an episode of G1 before drifting off. It's been a long day, and I'm exhausted.


	5. Where Do We Go From Here?

I only own my OC's!

* * *

~Where do we go from here?~

It's only been two hours when I'm woken up by the sound of a horn. "What the heck, Ratchet?" I sigh and step out to the garage. "What's up?"

"You didn't have breakfast. You barely had lunch. You need to eat something."

"How am I supposed to do that when I have little money and even less food, Big Guy?"

"I'll take you out."

"Excuse me?"

"Lennox's team made sure we could take care of ourselves when we were forced to leave the base for our own protection. We each got a credit card and at least a thousand in cash, depending on what career our holoform fit into. The warriors got a thousand, but those of us who looked like scientists or doctors got up to a hundred thousand."

"Ratchet." I huff at the Hummer ambulance. "How much did you get?"

"Mari…"

"This is important, Doc. I need to know."

"I have more than enough to cover your schooling, and to ensure you are well-fed."

" _Ratchet_. I'm serious. Doctors make around $200,000 a year. How much did they pay you for?"

"…Eight years…"

My eyes widen as I quickly calculate the amount. "Primus, Doc! That's 1,600,000. You're loaded!"

"I have enough to pay for you schooling and care for you. I also have a way to get my meds, though I cannot be sure it will last."

"Ratch…"

"I will be fine."

* * *

Ratchet pulls into the lot outside Bob Evans and lets me out before a human-like form climbs out of the driver's side. After a moment of my staring at him, he steps over and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Come on. We need to get you inside. It's way too warm for you out here."

"I'll be fine, Ratch. I've had worse."

We head inside and get a table. While he skims the menu, I pull out my phone, connect to the Wi-Fi, and start reading through a story on my Fanfiction app.

We order our food, and start eating as soon as it comes. I had gotten a turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, and carrots, and he chose a beef dinner with mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and green beans.

"I doubt you would call this a date, but I am unaware of human customs."

"I don't even _understand_ human customs, and I'm human, so that's moot, Doc."

"Techno-organic, Missy, and…that's a help." He sighs. "Would you want to go to a movie or something after this, or would you want to go back home?"

"I don't even know what's playing…" Ratchet sighs for a moment before grabbing my phone and pulling up a list, then hands it back to me. "Suicide Squad." I reply after a moment.

"What is that?"

"It's DC universe—superhero stuff—a bunch of villains forming a squad to "do some good" according to what it says. Really, I only want to see it because it's DC."

"All right. I'll take you to that."

"Then I'll have to get started on my homework, and I may want to go to the college tomorrow to get my Freshman Seminar homework done."

"And I assume you want me to go with you."

"Well, I don't really want to go alone, and I don't really have any friends here."

"I will go with."

"Thanks, Doc." I pat his hand. "I know you more than likely would need the rest, but I'm glad you'll come with me anyway."

"So long as you don't insist I rest all the time. I will get through this."

* * *

After the movie, the two of us head home, and, rather than stay inside, I pack several outfits and a few pajamas, then head out to the ambulance with my blankets and pillow. "Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"Staying in your V-mode. I want to be close to you, and I don't know how much time we'll have together before this thing takes you from me, and…well…"

He opens the back door. "Come on, get in before you drop that stuff." He sighs heavily. "We live a lot longer than humans, Sheyenne. I will more than likely outlive you by several vorns."

"You did say I was part of your race…"

"True." He sighs heavily. "I am tired, and I know you must be. Goodnight."


	6. If I Never Knew You

I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.

* * *

I only own my OC's!

* * *

~If I Never Knew You…~

I wake up at around noon the next day, since I don't have class, and roll over before smiling at the dash. "Good morning."

"Afternoon." He chuckles softly. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, surprisingly." I sit up and sigh as I rub my forehead. I get feelings like this sometimes, but this time, I don't have to put coolant into my Dodge just to go. "Ratchet…"

"What's wrong, Youngling?"

I sigh heavily. I have no idea how to explain all this to him without talking for an hour. "Could you take me to Plymouth?"

"What about going to the college?"

"We can go later. I…" I look at my hands. "I can't explain it, but…I need to go "home"."

"Home?"

I open my mouth, close it, and open it again, though I still can't find the words. I sigh softly before trying again. "I—" I shake my head. "It's a long story, Doc."

"We have time."

"I have to get dressed."

"I can shut down my sensors without shutting down my audios. Go ahead." I pull a pair of blue pants, a red T-shirt, and black socks out of the bag, along with clean underwear, which I change into before pulling on the pants. "Well… I never told you this, but I used to be an EMT…" I sigh softly as I pull on the T-shirt. "And I did my Clinicals with Plymouth Fire."

"Really?"

"Yep." I pop the 'P' before smiling at the dash as I settle on the cot to put my socks and shoes on. "I don't know when it happened, because it always felt that way, but…that place came to be more of a home to me than this place ever was, especially with my narcissistic birthdad around."

"Interesting." He sighs. "So you want me to take you to the fire station?"

"Please?"

He sighs. "What are you planning to do while we're there?"

"If the garage is open, sit on a fire truck and…relish the feeling of home."

"Anywhere else you want to go, besides the college?"

"I may pop into the library so I can check my Email…"

"You have a laptop…and Wi-Fi…"

"It's close to "home"."

" _Oh_ …" I'm sure he'd be smirking if he were in his robot form. "And could this reason be the same one that led you to find me?"

I shrug. "I have _no_ idea. I just…had to help you…"

"Anyway, do you have your backpack?"

"Yep."

"Laptop?"

"Check." I settle into the airway seat of his vehicle mode, almost having a flashback to my first EMS call ever.

"Buckle up. We're about to leave." I zip my suitcase, grab my fleece blanket, and slip the lap belt on before patting the side of the hummer.

* * *

I climb out and pat the side of the neon green Hummer H2 Search and Rescue ambulance with a smile before turning to the sidewalk. We're about a block from the library, and across the street from the fire station. "I'll be back in a few, all right?"

"If you take longer than thirty minutes, I'll come over in holoform."

"Gotcha. I should be back before then." I run across the street—barely remembering to look—before grinning. Not only do they have the bay doors open, they have Medic 1 out on the sidewalk. Instead of trying to take pictures like I usually do, I simply run to the ambulance and run a hand over it. "Hey… It's been a while…" I sigh. "I know, you can't hear me, but…but it doesn't matter. I miss rolling to the rescue with you, and…and I wish I was getting a school check so I could take the class again…on my own dime this time…" I stop on the side facing the medic and step up on the silver step before patting the side of the red rig. "I wonder if they ever got that damage from the ditch fixed…" I sigh softly. "Well, I'm going over to Fire now, but I'll be back, okay?"

* * *

RATCHET'S POV

I watch the youngling for a few minutes. She seems to be talking with the ambulance…which is unusual for most humans, but…she _is_ used to talking with me, and I would imagine she does this with other machines as well. It reminds me of my apprentice, who we lost several years back, along with his brothers and sister. It's hard, to see her so much like First Aid that she talks with inanimate objects, but…it takes me back to the early days, before I was his teacher, I was one of the Protectobots' creators, along with Wheeljack and Perceptor, with Ironhide as their protector and bodyguard.

It startles me slightly when she leaves the ambulance and runs just out of my sight. Contrary to what she believes, her tiny spark only reads as a 4-vorn-old's, and she doesn't know any more than that she has a spark, and I don't think she listened that day—she still thinks she's an adult and wants a relationship with me, after all…while I'm taking a guardian role that will probably end once she learns more of who she really is… She's still so young…

* * *

NORMAL POV

I step into the fire bay with a relieved sigh. That weird feeling in my chest is gone now that I'm here. "Hey, there." I hop up onto the front bumper of their new Engine 7—the back's got a step now, and it's not really useable as a chair anymore—before cuddling into the truck as well as I can. "I missed you…" I sigh heavily. I know it's weird to miss a FIRE TRUCK, after all, and I'm hoping no one can hear me, with as quiet as I'm talking. "I know it's been a while. I wish I could tell you I was coming back for training, but I don't have the money, and I know Culver won't sponsor me again…"

"Sheyenne, what are you doing?"

I pop my head up and hop off the fire truck so fast you'd think it had just burned me. "Sorry!"

The man holds out his hands placatingly. "It's me. you're fine."

"Ratch?"

"Yeah. What were you doing?"

"Um…" I rub the back of my neck. "Nothing."

"You are acting gestalt."

"Acting gestalt?" I didn't know that was a thing.

He steps over and lays a hand on my shoulder. "Why were you cuddling a fire truck?"

"Home."

"Home?"

I nod. "Home." I hop back onto the fire truck, listening for the signal that I have to abandon perch—the emergency tones. "It's home."

"The truck is…" He gives me a weird look, causing me to raise an eyebrow, but rather than question the look, I turn to the truck with my own look, then lay my flat palm on the hood and close my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for a life—"

"Sheyenne?"

I shake my head, trying to clear out the image of a blue robot and fire truck that looks just like the one in front of me otherwise. That was really _weird_ —almost like when I checked Culver 2 for one and saw the mech I'm talking to now. "Checking for a life force." I hop off the truck and walk back over to the ambulance with him following me like a lost puppy. I ignore him for the moment, though, and do the same thing I had done to the fire truck. This time, I see a red and white mech with a matching ambulance—a little more white, a little less red.

"Sheyenne, what are you doing?"

I sigh and turn to him, trying to shake off this weird feeling that I've just made a really important discovery. "Ratch, I can read life forces—I'm psychic, and I have been since I was 17." I turn back to the ambulance, trying to resist the growing urge to try and hug the thing in front of everyone on the roads.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What did you see?"

"Can I have a moment? I'm still making connections here…"

"I'll be with my v-mode."

"Thank you." I turn back to the truck, hands on my hips, and wait a moment to make sure Ratchet's out of auditory range. "Hot Spot." I grin. "You're Hot Spot!" I pat the still-silent fire truck. "God, I was wondering…" I sigh heavily. "You know, you're making me feel really silly, making me look like I'm talking to a non-living fire truck…"

"Cover."

"That's better, but keep it down and you'll keep your cover." I resume my seat on his bumper and lean back into him. "How's it going?"

"Wish I didn't have to stay put…"

"But cover, right?"

"Yep. Was that Ratchet?"

"Yep." I nuzzle into the fire truck. "Why do you feel like home?"

"Why do I feel like what?"

"Home. Safe. Love."

"You're techno-organic."

"That's what Ratchet said. So why?"

He sighs. "We chose you."

I lean back, almost falling off the bumper. "You what?"

"We chose you."

I look down at my hands, now sitting straight up, barely touching the mech. "Why would you want crap?"

"You're not crap, Little One…"

"They fired me…"

"Who did?"

"Culver…I don't even have my cert anymore…and why would you want a second-rate basic EMT who had to have remedial training because she couldn't even pass her practical exam?"

"Don't talk like that… We need you…"

"Primus, Spot…" I turn to the fire engine with a shocked look. "You need _me_?"

"We've been through a lot. You bring joy back to us."

"You realize Ratchet's going to have to know, right?"

"You can tell him, but don't feel like you have to right now, okay?"

"All right…" I sigh heavily, not wanting to leave even though the half hour's almost up. "I'll have to go now, or he'll come back over…" I nuzzle back into the truck. "But I don't want to…"

"It'll be okay. We'll always be with you."

"Hot Spot…"

"Just make sure you say goodbye to Aid before you leave…"

My eyes widen, and I grin. "All right." I slide off and pat the fire engine's bumper gently. "I'll be back, though—trust me _Big Brother_ …"

"I will. You've never failed to visit before."

I give the truck one more pat, run past Medic one with a pat and a wave, and clamber into the Hummer ambulance. "What did you see?" He sighs. "Or do you not want to talk about it right now?"

"Later…" I lean back into the passenger seat and grin, even though I feel like I'm breaking inside—I hate goodbyes, even if they're still alive.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't wanna leave…" I sigh and sit up straighter. "But I have to."

"Sheyenne…"

"'Fensor…"

"Come again?"

I turn to face the window. "I said 'Fensor…"

" _Holy_ _Primus_ … Defensor?"

"That's the one…"

"They're—"

"In Plymouth. Home."

"Hom—Mariposa Prime, you're telling me you were visiting Hot Spot?"

"Ever since I did my clinicals… I just found out…"

"Wow…"

I blink. "Come again?"

"What?"

"What did you just call me?"

"Mariposa Prime. That's your real name."

"Oh…" This is just too much, and I slide out of the chair before curling up on the cot in the back.

"What did I say? Mari?"

"Too much…"

"You're in shock." I nod weakly. "Easy, Little One." He—obviously in holoform—pulls a blanket up over me. "Rest. I'll tell you more when you wake up."

"But my homework—"

"Can wait until tomorrow. You've had a lot of newness today."

"Otay…"

"Rest. I'll be right here." I feel a hand lay on my sensitive back lightly. "I'll be right here."

* * *

RATCHET'S POV

I turn my holoform to look out the window at the red and white ambulance sitting innocently outside the Fire Station with a small smile. She found Defensor…she really is our Star Healer… Our _princess_. We'd been looking for Defensor for almost 40 earth years now, and she finds them so easily…I can only imagine how many more are out there, that she could find.


End file.
